30 posts in this topic

Last time I visited the shrine on New Yearâ€™s Day was when mom was still alive. Father doesnâ€™t care about prayers and Makoto would rather spend the holidays with her friends. Without even realizing it I have gotten used to spending New Yearâ€™s Day by myself in my room, which is what made this yearâ€™s events really weird. Last week Makoto came into my room without warning and asked me if I wanted to visit the shrine with her. I was so surprised that I had no idea how to react other than simply accept the invitation.

As expected it was just the two of us; father decided not to join us on the shrine visit. The two of us went to the already crowded Shinto shrine shortly after dawn, which was weird considering we were raised as Christians, but I guess itâ€™s fun to participate in Japanese traditions every once in a while.

Makoto was unusually talkative that day. She told me about her friends, a boy she liked (and who Iâ€™ll have to beat up if he dares touch her!), her studies and her future plans. I think we talked more than we have in years, which initially made me nervous as my estranged sister has become a person I do not even recognize, but on the other hand I am glad she still sees me as a person she can talk to freely.

Anyway, before I go off on a tangent, as we stood in line for the prayer I noticed a particular shrine maiden staring at me. She wore the traditional white and red outfit, had short pink hair and striking red glasses. When she noticed I answered her gaze she looked away and quickly resumed sweeping the floor, but as I kept looking I noticed that every few seconds she peeked in my direction. She was cute. I should go talk to her sometime.

When we were done with the prayer Makoto and I headed home. We were silent, ran out of subjects to talk about by then, when all of a sudden I felt her tugging on my sleeve. I stopped walking and saw her staring at me. I think she was gathering her courage as she silently adjusted her collar.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

For the past few weeks I have been finding more and more unusual lumps all over my body. Iâ€™ve had those before, I am sure plenty of people have, but usually theyâ€™d disappear after a few days, a week at most. For some reason these stuck around for close to a month and I started to get worried. I didnâ€™t tell father or Makoto because I didnâ€™t want to needlessly worry them.

To make matters worse more and more weird things started popping up all over my body. A random sore that wouldnâ€™t heal no matter how much time past, a tongue ulcer that had been here for over a month, one morning I woke up and started coughing up blood and when I went to the toilet there was even more blood. I probably shouldâ€™ve acted a lot sooner, but it wasnâ€™t until then that I actually started panicking.

Since doctors have been historically unreliable, I went to the internet and searched up these symptoms to see if I could find what was wrong and discovered that these were symptoms of cancer. I am not sure how long I sat behind the computerâ€™s screen staring at the very word without moving an inch, but it wasnâ€™t until I got called for dinner that my brains started working again.

I wondered for a second whether my healing Prayer could cure it, but no matter how many times I prayed or how much energy I put into it none of my symptoms disappeared. I started getting paranoid. My healing power had never failed me, my prayers had never failed me and God had never forsaken me. Could He be mad because of what happened on New Year? Could he disapprove of me performing a Shinto prayer?

I quickly rushed over to the Shinto temple, hoping Iâ€™d get some kind of an answer there but all urgency faded away when I noticed the same Shrine Maiden whoâ€™d been there on New Yearâ€™s Day. Our eyes met and she suddenly ran away, as if terrified, and I quickly chased after her.

She ran behind a building, hoping to escape my sight, but I wasnâ€™t going to let her get away! I had this feeling she had something to do with my illness. Could she have cursed me? With the use of the Prayer of Power I ran after her with inhuman speed, but as soon as I went around to corner to catch her a large fist smashed me in my face and I flew back several meters.

The fist belonged to a large muscular man dressed in a yellow outfit with a yellow mask shaped like a triangular top hat and several green heart motifs over his costume. This person was standing next to another man, as tall and muscular as he was, with long blonde hairâ€¦ but this person was wearing a Shrine Maidenâ€™s outfit and the same red glasses the I was running after had.

â€œWell, that was entertaining,â€ the blond man said while the other stood next to him silently. I wondered if he was a demon or something and I asked him if he had tricked any other people like he had tricked me and his answer was the weirdest thing Iâ€™ve ever heard. â€œDo you remember how many breads youâ€™ve eaten in your life?â€

What?

â€œZA WARUDO! TIME STOP!â€

I donâ€™t know what happened, but despite neither of the men moving several dozens of knives appeared right in front of me and pierced me. Killed me.

Thatâ€™s when I woke up. I have no idea what happened to make me dream something as weird as that, but I sure as hell am glad that it was just that. It would be a shame if the pretty Shrine Maiden was actually a sociopath like in my dream.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

This person was standing next to another man, as tall and muscular as he was, with long blonde hairâ€¦ but this person was wearing a Shrine Maidenâ€™s outfit and the same red glasses the girl Jinta was running after had.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

This morning I received a text from a number not listed in my phone by a sender claiming to be Chiriko Hayami. I wondered how she ever couldâ€™ve gotten a hold of my number and concluded that it more than likely was Ayane who gave it to her. Normally I wouldâ€™ve gotten annoyed at her for giving away my details like that, but right now I was more concerned with whether this was the real Chiriko or an elaborate prank by Yuudai to get back at me for what Iâ€™ve done during the festival.

The text was filled with emotes and pleasantries, but the only thing that mattered was her asking whether I was free tonight. I confirmed that I had no other plans and immediately received another text asking to meet her at the station at 8PM. Nightfall always falls early during winter, so I was worried whether it was such a good idea for a young lady to walk around by herself after dark, especially in Fuyukaba, but decided that sheâ€™d be safe as long as I stuck around.

When we met up she guided me to some kind of haunted house, a local legend that she had wanted to visit forever. The house was a mess. If youâ€™d imagine the most creepily decaying house ever youâ€™d have this place. I wanted to go home, I had no interest in pursuing ghosts, but this girl was so eager to enter and have a look that I lacked to courage to decline.

I wish I could say our trip into the haunted house was uneventful, but sadly my nose gave away that a demon had been hiding in there. I donâ€™t know whether it was a stroke of luck, but despite the obvious putrid stench we managed to navigate through the haunted house without stumbling upon the demon.

There was plenty of other stuff to keep Chiriko entertained though. Creaking floorboards, noisy doors moving around due to the draft, tree branches ticking against the windows and the constant feeling of someone watching us were more than enough to frighten her to the point of constantly clinging to me. Yeah, this was a good day.

The only thing I thought was creepy was the man in a hoody following us around when I was walking her home. Luckily she didnâ€™t notice, but I made sure to keep track of him to prevent any of his shenanigansâ€¦ even without my katana I should be able to take him down.

By the time we arrived at her home and she left I noticed that the stalker had also disappeared. I wonder who that was.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Father Lorenzo was extremely pleased with my progress, so he gave me a day off to spend in Rome. Said it would be a waste for me to travel halfway across the world without getting a chance to properly visit the city. For a while I had no idea what to do. I wandered around for a while, took a look at the monuments and wondered why this city was still so busy despite it being winter.

As usual, something really weird happened. During my time at the Vatican I had gotten to know the Pope. I wouldnâ€™t say we were close, we spoke every once in a while when he learnt I was the son of one of his pupils, but he was at least aware of my existence. This made it really awkward when I suddenly saw him walking around, in what appeared to be some kind of disguise, with a girl no older than 20 clinging to each arm.

I was insanely jealous.

Iâ€™m not sure why, I think it was some kind of bribe, but he asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him and his friends. I accepted and we headed towards some small pizzeria smartly hidden away from the public eye. When we entered the staff greeted the Pope as if him walking in was as plain as day. Just how often did he run off to eat here?

Despite having stayed in Italy for a week I hadnâ€™t eaten as much Italian food as Iâ€™d like. Looking through the menu I found that they sold lasagna here, a dish I still remember my mother making, but havenâ€™t eaten ever since she passed. Father canâ€™t cook and Makoto doesnâ€™t know how to make anything other than Japanese dishes, so a certain sense of nostalgia drove me into ordering the lasagna.

I donâ€™t know what happened, but when I took a bite of that lasagna I was overwhelmed by melancholy. I remembered how delicious momâ€™s dish truly was. How I would always watch it in the oven, waiting until it was finally time to eat. Makoto was still young when mom passed away, so I canâ€™t blame her for not remembering these things, but I never thought Iâ€™d have to eat a dish in a hidden pizzeria in Rome with the Pope in order for me to recall all of this.

This was how my weekly trips to the hidden pizzeria with the Pope started. Every week I ate their lasagna and asked him for the recipe, but every week they declined to tell me. Said it was a family secret. I guess I couldnâ€™t blame him. At least I got to spend time with the â€˜Italian girls of the Weekâ€™ as the Pope called them.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

It was time for my weekly pizzeria date with the Pope when he sent me a Whatsapp to cancel, apparently he was taking some girl on a tour in his Popemobile. At first I was a bit sad as Iâ€™m always excited for lasagna, but I decided to catch up on my studies. I donâ€™t want to brag, but Iâ€™m kind of a genius so I could easily make do even without attending school, but if I want to stay at the top of our class I have to put in some effort.

After having spent several hours in the library I decided it was time to take a walk. I eventually stumbled upon a riverbank that wouldâ€™ve been the perfect location for a nap if it were summertime, but because I didnâ€™t feel like catching pneumonia I decided against sleeping and continued my stroll. While walking there I noticed an unusually high number of couples. Iâ€™m not saying couples are weird, they are prevalent all over the world, but for some reason this area had a lot more than any other place I had visited.

I speculated that this was some kind of date spot, but I stopped thinking about it the moment I laid eyes upon an incredibly pretty girl sitting by herself on a bench. For a second I wondered whether I should approach her, but despite my infinite love for girls and their unmentionables I did not dare approach a fiery Italian girl. The modest Japanese woman will probably end up being my destiny.

I was about to continue walking when I suddenly noticed her glancing at me. My powers of observation never fail me, I was certain that it wasnâ€™t a coincidence. She was checking me out! At that time I wondered why, though. Eventually I decided to approach her. As I got closer I noticed she had a pen and a notebook. I quickly concluded that she was writing a book or poetry or whatever it is Italian girls do during the winter at a riverbank.

This was my chance! I had to impress herâ€¦ but how? I took a quick look at my surroundings and noticed that the normally still river was moving around violently. Probably because of the wind. â€œl'Acqua Ã¨ oggi arrabbiato,â€ I said in my best Italian. When I got home and looked up what I said I noticed that it made no senseâ€¦ in hindsight the fact that she cocked her head and looked confused wouldâ€™ve been a clear tell that I made no sense.

â€œYou know I speak Eng-â€

She had started talking, but for some reason I had muted out her lovely voice and continued channeling my inner-Yuudai. â€œI fiumi diventeranno rosso!â€ I exclaimed, not even sure what I wanted to say in the first place, but I am sure that it made no sense at all.

â€œI thinkâ€¦ I think Iâ€™ll go.â€ She said as she packed up her things and stood up. She gave me one last look and quickly wrote something down on a piece of paper. The look she had given me told me I had fucked up and I had no idea what she wrote on that piece of paper, but I was so embarrassed upon realizing I couldâ€™ve just talked normally that I started running away with tears in my eyes.

And she ran after me.

Like, what the hell? She was actually running after me, waving that piece of paper. She was fast. I think Iâ€™d have to use the Prayer of Power to outrun herâ€¦ anyway eventually she caught up and gave with tears in her eyes and breathing heavily due to exhaustion handed over the piece of paper.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

At this point I have been exchanging emails with Monica, the girl I met by the riverbank, for close to a week. She managed to convince me to meet up with her at some trattoria she frequented. Apparently the food there was supposed to be really good. Of course I had only one day off which was usually spent with the Pope, but since he ditched me last week I decided it would be fine if I had a week to go on a date.

I think this was my first real date, so I was extremely nervousâ€¦ but I never wouldâ€™ve guessed it would be such a disaster. After ten minutes we ran out of things to talk to and remained silentâ€¦ so I tried to break the ince and I donâ€™t know how to describe it, so Iâ€™ll just write down our conversation verbatim.

Jinta: â€œHey, would you like to see my balls?â€Monica: â€œâ€¦What?â€Jinta: â€œHere, my beads, would you like to see them?â€

Seriously? How does one make such a mistake in the first place? By the time food arrived I wanted to do what they do in all those movies, share food and stuff. Well.

Jinta: â€œWould you like to taste my sausage?â€Monica: â€œâ€¦â€

Jinta: â€œItâ€™s pretty firm, though, and a lot of juices will flow into your mind, but Iâ€™m sure you wonâ€™t mind.â€Monica: â€œâ€¦You are doing this on purpose arenâ€™t you?â€

I wasnâ€™t. Also I probably shouldnâ€™t talk with my mouth fullâ€¦ or stuff my mouth with bread for that matter. By the time our appetizers were taken I noticed they hadnâ€™t brought me a fork, but bad timing made me realize this only when I was chewing on a mouth full of bread.

Jinta: â€œIâ€¦ needâ€¦ aâ€¦ fock.â€Monica: â€œYou need what?â€

Jinta: â€œA fock.â€Monica: â€œThis is getting ridiculous.â€

Jinta: *GULP* â€œYeah, how can they forget a fork?â€

And at the end of the date, after we left, I learned I learn how to shut my mouth.

Jinta: â€œHmmâ€¦ You have a nice ass.â€Monica: â€œLet me guess, I misunderstood again?â€

Jinta: â€œâ€¦Fuck did I think out loud?â€

After this awful first date I went to the pizzeria the Pope was in to tell him about it. To rub salt into my wounds he told me he was powerful enough to turn back time and give me a second chance at this first dateâ€¦ but it was too hilarious for him to want to delete it. He said it served me right for ditching him.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I wondered for a long time why Monica appeared so interested in me. I know I am insanely good looking and I had the â€˜mysterious transfer studentâ€™ vibe, but to be perfectly honest I was less than suave in my interactions with her. Despite all of that we kept in touch and met up every once in a while. Of course our dates never progressed any further than meetings, but I donâ€™t think I really mind. I had more than enough fun just hanging out with her.

When it was time for me to leave Father Lorenzo drove me back to the airport just as he had picked me up, but this time Monica came along with us. The car drive to the airport was quiet, like most of our meetings. I guess two quiet people lead to quiet meetings? But I didnâ€™t really mind, it wasnâ€™t an uncomfortable silence. In fact, I think that the fact that we could comfortably be quiet with each other says a lot more than us constantly trying to think of inane subject does.

By the time I had to check in I said my goodbyes to Father Lorenzo first. He had taken good care of me and taught me many things no one else could. Whether it had to do with religion, my powers, socializing or looking down on my opponents, without Father Lorenzo I would be nowhere near the person I have become under his tutelage.

Then there was Monica. She mentioned how glad she was that she got to meet me and that she would love for me to show her around Fuyukaba like she had shown me Rome. She wanted to eat Japanese food, visit a shrine, go to an Animecon, play Street Fighter in an authentic Japanese arcade, go to hot springs and do many more things she had most likely gotten from watching anime. Itâ€™ll suck for her when she realizes that real life in Japan is nothing like a Shounen series.

When it was time to part she embraced me, as is customary for close people to do in Europe. I didnâ€™t want to insult her so I placed my arms over hers and hugged her. When we let go and I pulled back my arm she suddenly started shouting! I had no idea why until I looked at my right arms and noticed that my bracelet of prayer beads had entangled with her hair and I pulled out quite a chunk when I let go. I apparently pulled the hair out so roughly that she had started crying and instinctively gave me a retaliatory slap.

That slap was the worst Iâ€™ve ever felt in my life. Makoto and Ayaneâ€™s slaps pale in comparison to Monicaâ€™s â€œFiery Slap of Fabulous Italian Deathâ€. Teary eyed and red of cheek I took one last bow before I boarded the plane back to Japan.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I donâ€™t know whether it was Reika being here for the past two months or me being gone in that same timeframe, but Makoto has changed. For one she has become a lot more open and talkative, although I guess our lack of sibling bonding is also my own fault, but she has also gotten a bitâ€¦ weird.

Every few days, as if she wakes up in a certain mood, she starts acting really weird. Sheâ€™ll start walking around in a gothic Lolita dress, black eyeliner and red lipstickâ€¦ all of which is wholly inappropriate for a 14-year-old if you ask me, but father keeps telling me to stop being old fashioned at get with the times. His glasses tend to have a weird glow when he says that.

Odd choice of clothing aside her vocabulary also changes. When she comes down for breakfast or dinner she refers to all of us as her â€˜kindredâ€™. I stop being â€˜big broâ€™ and become â€˜esteemed elder brother, heir to the throne.â€™ Reika stops being â€˜Reika Onee-chanâ€™ and is sudden;y called â€˜Mistress Reika of the Demon Reaper.â€™ Weirdest name goes to father, who she calls â€˜Lord Yamamoto, Master of the Realm of Shadows.â€™

Father thinks itâ€™s funny and plays along and I get the idea that Reika doesnâ€™t really understand what is weird about the way Makoto acts and ignores it. She did mention the word chuunibyou to me once, but I had no idea what she was referring to. When I googled it I stumbled upon a weird show I hadnâ€™t seen before. I got curious and decided to watch it andâ€¦ I canâ€™t believe I ever missed this fantastic show.

WAIT THAT WASNâ€™T WHAT I WAS WRITING ABOUT!

Oh, right, Makoto. So one day I decided to play along and asked her to introduce herself. This is what she said, verbatim: â€œI am Makoto, wielder of the Demonâ€™s Arm, Child of the Night and enemy of menkind! Oh shit. Enemy of mankind!â€ At this point I couldnâ€™t contain my laughter and Makoto pouted, pounced me and bit me in my neck while shouting: â€œMy kindred has been cursed! I shall purge your blood and save you.â€

She didnâ€™t manage to actually draw blood, but she bit me hard enough to leave a bruise that didnâ€™t heal for a week. Worst thing that happened was when I met Ayane while I was out and she assumed it was a hickey. She started hitting me repeatedly with her bag while calling me a â€œB-baka!â€

I have to cure Makotoâ€™s chuunibyou before sheâ€™s the death of me.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Scenario: Jinta encounters a girl who demonstrates the uncanny ability to hide her panties from him no matter what he tries. He goes on a personal quest to catch a glimpse of them even if it takes him the whole day. It's up to you if Jinta succeeds in his quest ultimately.

Bonus points if the girl turns out to be a trap.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Today was the day I lost my innocence. I have been ruined for marriage. I am a blemish upon my family name. I am unworthy of the title Man of God. I am a heretic among students of Father Lorenzo. My life has become meaningless, my eyes are devoid of colour, my soul plunged into an endless abyss and many more pointless similes.

The point I am trying to make is that I went through a particularly harrowing experience today. I had received a message from Chiriko that she wanted to meet up at the local mall and since I had no other obligations I decided to accept the invitation. By the time I reached the mall she sent me a text that she was being held up and would be thirty minutes late. Gentleman that I am I told her not to worry and took a seat at the food court.

I was looking through the menu when all of a sudden a girl with a bob cut suddenly stood in front of my table. She wasnâ€™t particularly pretty, so I wouldnâ€™t have remembered her if she hadnâ€™t suddenly started pulling up her skirt, very slowly. Her thighs were in plain sight but right before her panties were in full view she let go of her skirt, stuck her tongue out and ran away.

I had no idea what had just happened but I sure as hell would not accept it! If she was going to taunt me by using her panties I would not rest before I had laid eyes upon them! Chiriko texted me that she was delayed even more and would likely have to cancel. Normally Iâ€™d be pretty bummed, but today I was a man on a mission.

I followed her around and waited for her to get on an escalator. I quickly ran and made sure to stand underneath her so I could easily peek upward, but she had moved to the other side! I dashed as fast as I could to the other side of the escalator, but again she had stepped to the other side.

For my next plan I waited till she sat down for lunch. I purchased a cheap phone with a video recording feature and waited for the perfect time to slide it across the ground in an angle that would give it full view of her panties. When that time finally came I threw out the phone perfectly accurate and almost celebrated, but suddenly she stepped on it right before it could pass by and get the shot.

My next plan started when she walked over a subway grating. I have no idea why there is a subway grating at the mall and I didnâ€™t even know Fuyukaba had a subway in the first place, but none of that is important. Maybe it was just a regular grating, whaevet. Anyway when she walked over it I abused my priestly powers to send a surge of force upwards to push up her dress, but when I ran to get a good look it didnâ€™t matter what angle I took she had covered it all up perfectly.

After some more stalking I found her in a womenâ€™s clothing store, looking at skirts. I waited until she entered the fitting room to try on the skirts she had picked out before sneaking next to it. I waited for a few seconds, to make sure that she had taken off her skirt before I quickly opened the door and took a picture with my phone.

Bear in mind that it this point I am fully aware that I am acting like a sex offender, but this girl had to pay. If she were a girlâ€¦ that isâ€¦ Anyway.

I thought it was weird that she didnâ€™t scream. Most girls would yell and call mall security but she remained quiet in the fitting room. I didnâ€™t think too much of it and took a look at the picture. I had succeeded in taking a picture of her in her underwearâ€¦ but letâ€™s just say that she was not who I thought she was.

The sight of a man wearing panties was burned into my mind when all of a sudden a fox-faced man stood next to me and knocked on the fitting room. â€œFukube-kun. Hereâ€™s the 200.000 yen I promised.â€ A hand reached out of the fitting room and accepted the roll of bills the man presented. â€œI guess I am eating Instant Ramen for the rest of the month, yâ€™know? But that sure was worth it, donâ€™tcha think Pervert-kun.â€